Lord Harris quits Carpetright after 57 years ... and his son goes too

Carpetright has lost all of the Harrises from its board – chairman Lord Harris will leave after 57 years along with son Martin, the development director.

The flight of the Harrises also includes chief operating officer Graham Harris, no relation, who managed to last only seven months in the role.

The boardroom clearout comes after a difficult period for the retailer which saw chief executive Darren Shapland leave unexpectedly last year in the wake of nine profit warnings in two years.Lord Harris stepped into the executive role in October but told the Mail that he has had enough.

Clearout: Lord Harris and his son Martin will both leave Carpetright

‘I don’t enjoy being a chairman,’ he said.

‘I like being more involved, but will be helping as a consultant... I want to rest for a time.

‘I will be 72 this year and shareholders will be aware that I have been planning a managed hand-over of my responsibilities for some time...I am confident will be leaving the business in safe hands.’

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He will be succeeded by Wilfred Walsh, who most recently had roles within bookmaker Coral, and music chain HMV.

Walsh said: ‘Carpetright is a great brand and I am looking forward to working with the team to drive profitability and share.

‘Lord Harris has 57 years in the carpet business and will be a hard act to follow, but the market-leading position he has built for the business is an excellent place from which to start.’

Earlier in the day Walsh, who takes over in July, tweeted: ‘I start on 21st July – it’s the vinyl countdown.’

The Conservative peer took over and but has decided to leave to focus on his Harris Federation of primary and secondary Academies in and around London.

His son Martin has worked at the firm for 25 years. Neither of them will receive any payoff, the firm said.

Lord Harris will become non-executive chairman from July 21 and will then retire from the board at the conclusion of the annual meeting on September 4, ending his decades-long association with the company.

He will remain available to Walsh as an advisor following his retirement from the board, as a paid consultant.

A search for a new chairman has begun and if this has not been completed by the time of the annual meeting Baroness Noakes, currently deputy chairman, will become interim chairman.

Having taken over the family business in 1957 Lord Harris floated Harris Queensway in 1978 and then set up Carpetright in 1988.

He was chairman and chief executive of the business from its beginning until Shapland was appointed chief executive in 2012, at which point Lord Harris became non-exec chairman.